When Strangers Meet
by djinfiend
Summary: A girl who is able to see ghosts. A young woman who died three times. An arrancar that is supposed to be dead. A teen concerned about her friends. They have nothing in common and they meet... with some enemies.
1. Chapter 1

When strangers meet

Chapter 1 KARIN: Is that Rukia?

„We're home!" Yuzu shouted as she opened the door. She was greeted by silence as usual. Nobody was home. Karin sighed and went into her room. What the heck has happened? Not so long ago, Ichigo hasn't been able to see ghosts so he's been staying pretty much at home, but suddenly he started disappearing again. _Guess his powers are back_, Karin thought. That didn't bother her. She didn't like him getting almost killed, but hey! It's his life after all.

What really worried her was her dad. He would always run to greet them, especially Yuzu because she was the only one who was actually nice to him. Now he was almost never home and when he was, he was dead tired. Everything started when that weird pressure was at Karakura town and all people were sleeping on the street. Even Yuzu. Dad just disappeared and when the pressure was gone, he came back sick worried about them. It was then Ichigo lost his abillity to see ghosts. Dad started disappearing instead of him and Karin couldn't help but notice that number of hollows dropping. She suspected that it has something to do with Old Goat's disappearing.

Whatever, it's not like she cared. If they are big boys, they can take care of themselves. She had Yuzu and that's what matters.

Suddenly, she felt spiritual pressure. It was strong and it was close which was perfect. She was in mood for killing hollows. It was a weird day and Karin didn't like weird things. Like that weird woman outside the school. The woman looked exactly like Rukia. She was just walking around, looking half confused, half amazed by everything. Seriously creepy.

Karin got up and picked her ball running through the doors yelling: "I'll be back in a sec!" knowing Yuzu is going to be furious. The hollow was just outside the house on a street. She remembered that time when Ichigo saved her from a hollow in the garden. She has been so helpless then, but Ichigo, he wasn't scared like she was, he was just furious. She had changed since then. This hollow was a piece of cake.

She kicked the ball and added some spiritual pressure yelling: "Hey ugly!" The hollow actually turned to the ball. It was the last thing it saw.

Karin picked the ball when she caught a glimpse of a person. She turned to see Rukia_. No, not Rukia_, she thought, _it's that woman who looks like Rukia_. She was a bit taller than Rukia and had longer hair pulled in low ponytail. A lock of hair was hanging on her face and it splitted in half on her nose. She was wearing a worn out pink dress and some old shoes.

_Maybe it is Rukia_, she thought_, she could've grown since we last seen her_. And besides, she had strong spiritual pressure. Karin suspected the woman saw what she did.

"Rukia?" she called. The woman turned around, her eyes wide open in surprise. It wasn't Rukia though. She looked like her, but Karin just knew it wasn't her.

"Sorry, I mistook you for someone I know." she apologized and started to walk home when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait, you know Rukia?"The woman asked. Karin nodded.

"She and my brother are friends." she answered "Who are you?"

"Oh," the woman looked shocked. She was sickly pale and she looked really weak, like she's going to collapse. She fell on her knees and started coughing hard.

"You okay?" Karin mentally slapped herself. Stupid, stupid, stupid! It was _obvious _that she wasn't okay!

She helped her get on her feet and walked her to her place, which was like ten meters from here. Yuzu helped her and they placed the woman on the couch. The woman coughed and coughed, there seemed to be no end.

"She seems to be choking on the air!" Yuzu exclaimed_. Not air_, Karin thought_, the spiritual pressure_.

Karin got up and went to the kitchen. The woman stopped coughing immediately. So, she was making people sick now? She returned with a glass of water and gave it to the woman.

"So, who are you?" Yuzu began "You look like Rukia, but you seem a little bit older. Are you related to her? She was staying at our place before, but then she left. She was really nice. She-"

"Stop, Yuzu!" Karin interrupted. The woman just smiled softly. She had the saddest eyes Karin has ever seen. The eyes were lavender blue, just like Rukia's, but they were filled with such sadness it made Karin's insides hurt.

"But seriously, who are you?" Karin asked. The woman seemed to think a lot about the question and after a while she responded: "I forgot something. I know I did."

"Say what?"

"My bag! Where is it?" the woman looked around "Oh no! I left it in park. I knew it, dammit!" she had high pitched voice that didn't suit her at all. Maybe the voice was like that because of all that coughing. Speak of the devil, here she coughs again. Karin promised her she would find her bag so she went in the park.

It was really dark. Really, really dark. She knew that hollows are often more active during the night so she brought her soccer ball. She found the bag quickly and was surprised how light it was; like that weird woman didn't have anything in it. She didn't like the air around here. Something was wrong; she just couldn't put her finger on it. She found a piece of paper on the bench. Was that for her or for the weird woman? She unfolded it but couldn't read whatever was written on it because (duh!) it was dark. When she got to the street she unfolded the little piece of shit again and read the message. It said:

_For the girl with a ball_

_You are being followed. Whoever it is, the person does not have good intentions. I can help you get rid of this person. Do you want my help?_

_Yes No_

_Leave the paper on the street after you decide._

_You've got to be kidding me. I'll tell you who's following me, you creep. There's got to be a pen in this stupid bag_. She searched for it, but instead she found a paper and it said _Rukia_. So she knows Rukia. She even looks like Rukia. Karin already knew that. But she had to have a pen to write it! So Karin searched for the pen again, but instead she found another piece of paper. This one said _Byakuya._

_Now, why does that name sound so familiar? Doesn't matter, you need a pen, not Byakuya_. Karin was searching for the pen again. _Come on, c'mon… What's this? _Another_ piece of paper. This one's empty. What's with papers today?! _She looked for the pen _again_ and… Bingo! She found it!

She circled around _No_ several times, just to be clear. Then she folded the paper and threw it away and went home.

When she got home, Yuzu and the weird woman were talking lively, like they were old friends.

"Hey Karin, you're back!" Yuzu hugged me tightly.

"Yeah, and I brought the bag. Seriously, what are you keeping in here?" _Oh I wonder_, she thought. She knew better than to say she's been poking in her bag. That is rude after all.

"Nothing heavy, actually." She answered "Your sister is really sweet. Not to mention an excellent cook"

"I know, right?" Karin looked at Yuzu who was blushing and opened a new topic: "Did you know that Hisana is actually Rukia's sister?"

"Say what? I thought she didn't have a sister!" Karin gasped. Hisana looked kind of ashamed when she said that. Her eyes became even sadder (if that was possible) and her look was distant.

"Me too!" Yuzu said "Hisana is also able to see ghosts, like you and Ichigo, and not just that! She remembers her previous life! She said when you die you go to the Soul Society, like another world!"

"Fascinating," although it really wasn't. Hisana just sat there obviously thinking of someone or something and started coughing again.

"Hisana, are you alright?" Yuzu asked and Karin wanted to slap her. Are you blind? Does she look alright? But Yuzu continued: "Why don't you stay here tonight? Till you get better." She added seeing that Hisana didn't want to be trouble to them.

"Yeah, you can have Ichigo's room. He's not at home anyway." Karin offered. Hisana nodded and thanked them while still coughing. Karin wondered what the heck was wrong with her lungs. Soon they also went to bed.

"Karin, are you awake?"Yuzu whispered.

"Yeah, you need something?" She heard a sound that could be Yuzu shaking her head.

"I was just wondering-"Yuzu paused because a shadow flew by their window and then continued "What do you think of Hisana?"

Karin thought about that. What did she think of Hisana? She was weird, but she didn't seem dangerous. The fact that she could remember her past lives was freaky too and maybe that was the reason she looked so sad. Something probably happened once upon her life. Then, it was also weird that Rukia never mentioned she had a sister or in fact a family. But here was her sister who looked sad and lost and sick. Yes, sick! She had unusual spiritual pressure and coughed whenever Karin got near her. She remembered when Yuzu and whole town lost conscience and there was strong spiritual pressure and even Karin didn't feel good, but she didn't cough. How can you be sick of little spiritual pressure?

"She seems nice, but weird." she finally said.

"Yeah, she is weird, but than again so are you and Ichigo"

"Hey!"

"What? It's true. You two are awesome, but weird. Who else can see ghosts and those evil things… what do you call them?"

"Hollows" Karin sighed "And it's not just me and Ichigo anymore. I think dad can see them as well."

Yuzu looked at her curiously "Really? I thought he was like me."

"So did I. Did you notice that he's never home when we get back from school? He just disappears, sometimes leaving a patient waiting, and guess what? It always happens when there is a hollow out there."

Yuzu suddenly groaned "Why am I always left out?! I wish I was like the rest of you! The world hates me!" Karin laughed at that. It was ironic- she wanted to get rid of these powers and Yuzu would do anything to see a ghost.

"I miss Ichigo. Why does he have to be at that camp anyways?" Yuzu sighed. Karin kept quiet thinking of how she will beat hell out of him when he gets back. He is a great guy and all that, but he is a jerk of a brother. What camp? He just vanishes with no trace after a year of not-being-able-to-see-ghosts and says he is on football camp?! She saw him a year ago when he left his body in that funny clothes, he was a Soul Reaper and he saw that she saw it and he still pretends that she is hallucinating. He just leaves with no goodbye, leaving her frustrated because Yuzu is worried sick about him.

"Go to sleep" she said.

Karin lied there, thinking about that piece of paper that some stalker sent to her. Someone was following her. She didn't want to admit it, but now that she read it, she was feeling like she's being watched like a prey. And that shadow. Well, maybe it was just some bird flying by, or a squirrel. Stupid creep! Even if she was being watched, she can take care of it.

* * *

**So this is my first fanfic. Time is set during the Vandereich or whatever it's called. If there is any mistakes, please, tell me. If you don't like something, tell me what should I do to make it better. Anyways, please review, just tell me what you think of it.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 HISANA: Remembering the lives...

Hisana woke up scared. She was sweating and breathing heavy and then started coughing. She hated having nightmares almost as she hated being sick. She got up and searched for her bag. The bag was really ugly. As were the shoes. Well, at least the dress was pretty even if it was found in a trash bin. For as long as Hisana could remember, and it really was more than lifetime, she was poor. Since she died in Kuchiki manor, she could remember things about her previous life. How long has it been? Two lifetimes? This was the third since she had died and remembered.

She took the papers from the bags and looked at them.

_Rukia_

That was the name of her sister. She remembered her well. She was a baby that was never pleased. She would always cry, always be hungry and she was so stubborn. She loved her so much! And then she left her, like trash. She would never forgive herself for that. It was true that she never wanted to leave her, not permanently, but she did. She was weak, she always had been. Leaving Rukia proved that fact.

_Byakuya_

Now that was a name that brought so many happy memories. He loved her like no one else did. Even when she was so sad that she couldn't love him back that much. All because of that loud little sister that she left on a street. She spent her whole life trying to find her, ignoring her husbands worries and making him and herself miserable. And then, just for the hell of it, she got sick and died. She should be called The Queen of Tragedy.

She started coughing again, now harder. She felt strong spiritual pressure that didn't belong to Karin. Damn spiritual pressures! Wait! She forgot something again, she was sure of it. She knew she will remember it eventually, but the feeling that you forgot was awful.

Still coughing, she went to the kitchen to drink some water. She saw that it was 5.15 AM. She was a morning person after all. She decided to make a breakfast for the girls since they let her stay here. They were so nice, especially Yuzu. They had talked mostly about Rukia because Hisana was curious about her. She didn't find out much. Rukia was hanging out with their brother, Ichigo, and she lived here for some time, but then she left. At least she was alive and well. She wondered why she told Yuzu that she was Rukia's sister. Rukia obviously didn't know and Hisana wanted it to stay that way. Rukia didn't deserve a sister like Hisana. Ah, yes, she told them she was Rukia's sister because it would be really weird if she told them that she was searching for Rukia, but didn't exactly know her, not to mention that she looked like Rukia. She didn't count on the looks. She thought that Rukia would look like their mother.

Hisana was so caught up in thought she didn't notice a man walking to the fridge. She just started feeling woozy of spiritual pressure and coughed harder. The man turned to her and started screaming. Then she started screaming while coughing which sounded like some monster was laughing. They went on like that until someone turned on the light. It was Karin with Yuzu by her side.

"It's five in the morning and it's Saturday so you better have a good reason for waking us up!" Karin hissed.

Dead silence. The man stared at her like he saw a ghost. So did she. He looked like a Shiba. He had all Shiba features. Hisana learned all the noble families and what they were like. She met Kuukaku Shiba and she liked her. She was scary of course, but she was nice to her. She had never met this man though.

"Rukia, what are you doing here?" he managed to ask. Hisana, however, was still as a stone.

"That's not Rukia, dad, that's Hisana, Rukia's sister." Yuzu explained. The man ran over to them and hugged them.

"I was so scared, I thought I was gonna die!"He cried. Karin just punched him in the face and said "If you continue whining like that, you are going to die." Then she looked at Hisana.

"Hey, are you alright?"She asked. Hisana stared at her. Karin looked like a Shiba too. That's what she had forgotten! She knew there was something familiar about her. But what was the Shiba family doing here? Hisana smiled softly. Shibas are always weird. They were such sweet family. She wondered if she could ever have a family like this. _You already know the answer. _She left her family. But enough about guilt! It's a beautiful dawn which means it is going to be a wonderful day.

At breakfast Isshin, which was the man's name, asked some questions like who she is and what she's doing here. He seemed really nice although eccentric and he let her stay here for as long as she wishes. But she couldn't help seeing hint of suspicion in his eyes. Either he knew something she didn't, or he knew she wasn't saying everything.

Later, back in Ichigo's room, Hisana was thinking about her lives. When she was reborn in this world for the first time, she thought that she was going nuts because she could somehow remember things that never happened. She should also see ghosts and monsters that sometimes wanted to eat her. She had a lonely childhood. She was an only child and her parents died in a car crash. She kept searching for a sister she never had and ended up as a thief. She was also always sick. She was sick before she was born. It had to do something with the past life. Then she started remembering her husband. She promised herself she would find them both-her sister and her husband. But it wasn't that easy. She didn't have any friends to help her, but she had loads of enemies who would like to torture her and probably kill her.

She remembered one person particular. Rika. She wanted to avenge her older sister who died because Hisana pushed her of the tree. They were the only friends Hisana had. But one day everything went to hell. They were fighting over money of course, but Kana, Rika's sister, went crazy. She suddenly saw a monster in Hisana and yelled about Hisana being a demon, devil, a murderer. Hisana ran as fast as she could and climbed a tree. It was sakura tree, she clearly remembered. Kana was even better climber than Hisana was, but Hisana was so small she could stand on the little unreachable branches. Kana was now screaming to keep away from her sister, to go back where she came from, to die and turn to ashes. She kept screaming that Hisana was sick because life was a poison to her. Then she started to say things like how she abandoned her sister, how she didn't love her husband. Hisana was shocked. How did Kana know about them? Then she was outraged and lost control of her body. She ran on the branches and crashed into Kana. Kana lost her balance and fell taking Hisana with her. Hisana managed to hold on a branch, but Kana fell and broke her neck. Rika saw the whole thing. She spent her life looking for Hisana and found her. Hisana was 20 years old then. Rika was 13. It was a quick death. Rika cut her throat and Hisana died calmly in pain she deserved.

Hisana found herself in the Soul Society after she died. She was back in Rukongai, this time in District 78. It was worse than the last time she was in Soul Society. She had nothing. Not even Rukia. That reminded her; she had to find her! And Byakuya! Maybe she should go to the Kuchiki manor. He could help her. No, Hisana will just break his heart like the last time and then probably die again. No, this time she will find Rukia and won't rest until she does. The biggest problem was that she didn't know how old Rukia was now and how she looked like. She didn't know anything about her.

She had to start from somewhere. And the chance was running right in front of her. A knife flew right in front of her eyes. That was close. It was even closer to the running boy. It missed him by few inches, but the next knife didn't. It hit him in his back. The boy fell screaming for mercy he wouldn't get. Suddenly there was a man kicking him as hard as he could. Hisana was familiar with this. It happened all the time in Rukongai. It was just the way of life around here. If she smart was like last time she was here, Hisana would've run away, pretending she didn't see this. Now she had too much on her conscience to be smart. She killed her friend and made her sister suffer. She left her own sister. She-this is so boring. Just remembering all her failures was stupid.

So, without thinking, she went to the man who was still kicking the boy, and hit him with all her might that she had in that little fist of hers. The boy didn't even know what was happening. The big fat man was stunned. Hisana took the boy and started to run as fast as she could, which wasn't very fast, and the man was gaining on them. Just when the man was about to reach her, a little girl jumped on the fat man and started biting him. Hisana barley noticed her so she continued to run. Then, to Hisana's surprise, en old lady grabbed her and pulled her into her house. Granny looked at the street expecting someone, and that someone came in soon. She reached out and grabbed the little girl that was fleeing from the fat man and pulled into her house. Meanwhile, Hisana tended the wounds that covered the boy's body. There was a knife still stuck in the back, his arms were covered with blood, not to mention the feet, the bruises were all over him and his eye was swollen. The boy was muttering something as she tended to his wounds and was non stop pulling her sleeve. He opened his fist and showed her what he had stolen. Hisana gasped in shock. It was-

Karin opened the door furiously tearing a piece of paper in her hands. Hisana stood up immediately waiting for orders. Something about Karin made her feel like a small soldier which was really, really scary. Because Karin was a bit shorter than Hisana. And she always had that mean or sarcastic look on her face.

"Yuzu and dad are of shopping and I'm bored so I decided to take a little walk. Wanna join me?" Karin asked, still furiously tearing what was left of that poor paper.

"Yes, ma'am!"then she corrected herself "I mean yeah, why not?"

While they walked, Karin with her soccer ball for unknown reason, Hisana was hopping, running, spinning around and enjoying the spring. They went to the park and Hisana couldn't resist climbing on that huge sakura tree. Karin disappeared somewhere without a word, but Hisana didn't care much. Karin seemed like a person that likes solitude and besides, the sakura tree was challenging. By the time she reached the highest little branches, Karin was back, looking confused holding another piece of paper.

"What are you doing?"she asked.

"What does it look like?" Hisana yelled back "I'm spying on people."

"Oh yeah? Have you seen something suspicious?"Karin said skeptically.

Hisana look all over the place. There were mostly old people taking a stroll, some couples kissing on the bench, kids playing football and a young man sitting alone on bench writing on papers. She told that much to Karin. Karin was suddenly very interested in the young man.

"Where is he?"

Hisana climbed of the tree and ran towards the guy, Karin at her heels. But when they came to the place, there was no one there. The bench was empty. Hisana sighed and started coughing so she sat down. Karin on the other hand was running around like lunatic trying to find the guy. She looked outraged. Hisana would tell her to calm down, but she knew it wouldn't help much. Soon Karin did cool off a bit and sat next to Hisana. They sat there for five minutes and to Hisana, those five minutes were the longest minutes in all the lives she could remember. The minutes were filled with awkward silence. Karin was scary, but nice, Hisana knew that, but still, what to say? She was never good at making friends. She never knew how to begin a conversation. Luckily, Karin started talking.

"So…Are you one of those weird people in black who kill hollows?"she asked.

"You mean a Soul Reaper? No, I'm not."Hisana answered and then added "But I know a lot about them."

Karin looked delighted when she heard that: "Could you tell me something about them?"

"Sure."

They talked about Soul Reapers for what seemed hours. She learned that Karin befriended a Capitan, Toshiro Hitsugaya and that her brother was a Soul Reaper too. And Rukia was. She wasn't a thief. She was living it up as a Soul Reaper. Hisana was never so proud as she was now. Maybe Byakuya found her and adopted her! She could _so_ imagine it; Byakuya and Rukia fighting side by side, killing the most powerful hollows like bugs, they are unbelievable, undefeatable, they are…are…impossible. Come on, Hisana, what are you thinking? Sure, if Rukia is a Soul Reaper she could be adopted, and yes, Byakuya is really powerful, but killing hollows like bugs?

"Man, Soul Reaper life does sound fun." Karin said.

"You're kidding, right? Soul Reaper life sucks! All the spiritual pressure, fighting, hollows… I would die!"

"That's because you're sick. I mean, how can you get sick of spiritual pressure? I understand if you don't have much, then spiritual pressure of the other person crushes you slowly, but coughing?" Karin just said what Hisana was thinking all her lives. She figured it fast. She looked down, thinking about nothing. Then a paper fell on her shoulder.

"What?! Another one?! That bastard never gives up, does he?"she heard Karin sigh. Apparently, she got a paper too. Hisana unfolded hers and stared at the message.

"What does your paper say?"Karin was curious. Hisana was still staring at the paper and then she absently looked up. She supposed the paper fell from the tree above them. On the tree was probably the person that tossed the papers on them. Yes, she could see him now. It was the same guy she saw sitting on this bench before, writing obviously these messages. But how did he know? Is he a psychic? He was looking at her completely blank.

"Hisana?" She turned to the sound of her name and faced a really big hollow. It was huge. She looked again at the paper.

_If you are done talking about Soul Reapers and your pathetic sickness, turn around._

_It's time to die. Unless you want my help. Say the word and I will jump from the tree._

_U.C._

Whoops. It really is time to die. The giant hollow that Hisana decided to call The Gollow, which made no sense, was leaning over them deciding which human he should eat first. He decided. He would eat both of them on the same time. Now, Karin, being the brave tomboy she is, kicked her ball and added so much spiritual pressure that it made Hisana feel woozy and start coughing. The Gollow had no spiritual pressure. Well he had, of course he had, but Hisana didn't cough at all because of it. It was like "Hey, I feel spiritual pressure but I'm not dying!" When the spiritual bomb ball hit The Gollow, it seemed as he was laughing. Hisana didn't like that and neither did Karin, but nobody asked them. The hollow caught Hisana's ear (she will never understand how he managed it-his hands were huge!) and pulled her of the ground. She was panicking now. She wasn't brave or strong or fierce or anything like that. She was ordinary. Minus the fact she remembers her past lives and she still looks the same she did for a couple of lives now and every time she was born her parents called her Hisana. But yes she was as ordinary as you can get. So what did she do now? She screamed her poor sick lungs out. Coughing didn't help much as she screamed.

"Karin! Shoot the hand!"she screamed "Kick the ball!" And that she did. With spiritual pressure. Right into Hisana's face. She was saved and was choking like never before. It was one thing to stand right next to spiritual pressure, you just cough and cough and it's killing you, but to get hit by spiritual pressure bomb? Hisana was sure that this was the end. And last thing she saw was Karin's soccer ball. How _pathetic. _

She heard Karin shout her name but it seemed so distant. Her head was spinning and she didn't feel any part of her body. She fell unconscious thinking about Byakuya and Rukia.

She didn't dream about anything. It was a shame, she liked dreaming.

* * *

**New chapter! Thank you all for reviews, I really appreciate it. So here is Hisana, I like how it turned out because I made her not so depressed about things that happen to her. The next chapter will also be Hisana's point of view because it was supposed to be all one chapter, but too much happened for just one chapter. I hope you enjoy reading this as I enjoy writting it (even if I am one lazy writer). Review if you have something to say.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 HISANA: Ruined face and one offer?

Hisana woke up and looked at the familiar face.

"Sorry I kicked the ball at you"

"Kicked ball at her? You nearly killed her! Not to mention destroyed her face! I thought you were good at aiming!"That would be Yuzu hissing.

"I _am_ good at aiming!"Karin pouted "The hollow moved in the last second. I knew it was gonna happen, but I couldn't let it eat Hisana!"

The door opened and a wave of strong spiritual pressure made Hisana cough.

"Real doctor coming through. Make way, make way!" Isshin yelled like he was on another hill.

"Dad, you always say you are a real doctor and you get scared when Yuzu or I get sick!"Karin shouted so he could actually hear her "Honestly, I would sooner call Yuzu a doctor than you. Who let you be a doctor?"

"Don't say that!"Yuzu looked outraged "I learn from the best and dad _is_ the best!"

Isshin teared up at that and hugged his daughter squeaking how at least one of his children love him. He looked at Hisana who was behind Yuzu sitting on bed. He frowned and let Yuzu of his bear hug.

"Your face is worse than it was before" he said calmly. Karin looked down biting her lip probably feeling guilty.

"It's not your fault, Karin" Hisana tried to comfort her.

"I kicked a ball. At your face." she said "It's that simple. My foot, the ball, your face. You guess what was ruined."

Hisana smiled and felt pain doing that. She didn't know that Karin had that much strength.

"It can't be that bad" she said softly.

"Well it's actually getting better. You are healing pretty fast. But it looks ugly, awful, disgusting, you name it." Isshin grinned.

"Not helping, dad" the twins said in unison. Karin handed Hisana a little mirror to look at the art of her face.

Hisana never had the luxury to care how she looked. She never knew what Byakuya saw in her because she wasn't a beauty. She was ordinary. It was stupid to care how you look. Life is hard and death won't spare you if you are pretty. But her face was really messed up now. At first she didn't know that it was her face. Her nose was broken and her face was full of burns and bruises and something between bruises and burns. She wasn't pretty, that was sure. A single thought crossed her mind. _What would Byakuya say?_

"So?"Karin waited for judgment. Hisana was too busy looking in the mirror to answer. Isshin however was uncomfortable about something and had a serious look.

"Why don't you girls go out on the fresh air? You've been here all the time." He said. The girls looked at each other, shrugged and left the room.

Hisana was still staring at the new her and didn't hear Isshin calling her until he shook her. She looked at him as he sat on her bed with dead serious face that didn't suit him. Was she in trouble?

"Hisana, we need to talk." Uh-oh "I was surprised when first saw you because, well you looked like Rukia. But you already know that, you are her sister. I have to ask you; do you have a brother?"

Hisana shook her head.

"Thought so." Isshin continued "Rukia on the other hand said she had a brother, but she never mentioned a sister."

Hisana felt like someone punched her. She didn't care that Rukia didn't know the truth. Byakuya really kept his promise! He found her and adopted her and didn't tell her a thing about Hisana. She was feeling fireworks in her, but she reminded indifferent on the outside.

"So I went to my old friend who knows pretty much everything. He told me that Rukia indeed had a sister called Hisana. Hisana left her when she was just a baby because she probably couldn't find enough food for the two of them. Later Hisana met Byakuya Kuchiki, a noble. He broke the law of nobles so he could marry her. That's what I call love. She was a pretty woman, although the saddest being I've ever seen. She was looking for her sister she left behind but never found her. She got sick while searching for her and nobody knew the disease she had so there was no cure. Byakuya, that silly guy, promised her he would find her and be the brother Rukia deserved and he wouldn't say anything about her sister. Then Hisana died. Soon after her death he found Rukia and adopted her." he looked at her "Did I get the facts right?"

She nodded feeling extremely guilty because while he was talking, she was coughing all the time.

"When did you see me?"she asked "I mean in Soul Society."

"Oh, that. I didn't. You always look sad. Like your life has no meaning."

Hisana thought about this. He must've been a Soul Reaper if he knew so much about Byakuya. And she suspected he was a Shiba.

"You are Capitan of the tenth division! Isshin Shiba, how could I have forgotten your name?!" She really couldn't believe she forgot about him.

"Wow, I didn't know you could recognize me."Isshin scratched back of his head.

"Of course I recognize you! Byakuya couldn't stop talking about you for_ hours_! You were the man that irritated him the most. You should be proud, not many people could do that." she said proudly.

Isshin frowned at that and muttered about Byakuya being a jerk that Hisana pretended she didn't hear. They sat in awkward silence for few minutes thinking about their lives. After a while Isshin looked at the window deep in thought.

"You know, I could get you to Soul Society, you could return to your husband, meet Rukia." he looked at her "You had a sad life and I can't just stand by watching you drown in your sorrow. I can get you home and you could pick up from where you left."

Hisana was tempted. All this time she wanted to find Rukia and return to Byakuya, so why not? The chance was here right in front of her. She looked at the mirror and smiled at her picture.

"Nah, I don't think they will recognize me. I mean, look at my face. I know Byakuya would still love me, no matter how I look, but I need to live this life before I go back." She said sleepily and then whispered to herself "I will die soon anyways, I always die young."

Isshin nodded understanding her and left so she could rest from resting.

For the next few days Hisana was treated like an old dying lady; everyone helped her walk, get of the couch, bed, floor, she had to drink so much tea that she started to hate tea, they wanted to feed her… It was uncomfortable. She was mostly lying around and watching TV, getting anxious to go out. Her head hurt a lot since the accident and her face was officially permanently ruined. She would hang around with Yuzu, mostly because she was so nice and kind and Hisana didn't feel sick around her. They played games, talked a lot, cooked even more than they talked, and just for the record, they cooked _good_. Yuzu was fun. But something was bothering Hisana since the you-know-what.

She was curious how Karin managed to kill that hollow. She was trying to get Karin alone so she could ask her that. Karin on the other hand seemed to avoid her. Hisana was getting frustrated day by day. Still, she was grateful to be here, not to worry about food or money. It reminded her of the time in the Kuchiki Manor, no worries, no thinking, just enjoying the time. Everyone accepted her here and loved her. It felt to good to be true. And it was.

Karin started disappearing a lot. Hisana knew she was mostly going to kill hollows, she could feel the spiritual pressure, but sometimes Karin would just go out in a very, very bad mood. And that was when there was no spiritual pressure. She would come back frustrated, mad, sometimes relieved or sad or even a bit happy. Hisana didn't know what to think. After a week, Hisana figured that Karin didn't speak to her dad since the incident. She would just ignore him, like she did with Hisana. The only person she would talk all the time was Yuzu. Something was up, Hisana knew that. And she had to find out how Karin managed to kill such a hollow, it was killing her. So, one day when Karin went out, she followed her.

Karin was heading to a playground and she seemed to be walking rather quick. She was angry for some reason and was kicking her soccer ball here and there before she sat on bench.

"Hisana, you know that I know that you are here. You do have spiritual pressure." Karin sighed. Hisana sat next to her awkwardly wondering if she was going to get hit again.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Karin looked around before answering that she was waiting for someone. Hisana was curious who was she waiting, but she didn't ask. Instead she wanted to know how Karin managed to kill… Yeah, whatever, she was thinking too much about it.

"So how did you kill that hollow?" it felt so good getting that question out! Karin looked down, like earth was something she never saw before. She was looking for the right words and Hisana was one patient person. Finally, after some time she answered "I didn't."

Hisana's first thought was _Did she really need to think that long to answer that?_ Then it hit her. Karin _didn't_ kill the hollow. Who did?

"Remember the paper you got before the hollow attacked us?" Hisana nodded "Well, I got one too and it said to turn around and that if I needed help I could just call."

"That was written on my paper too." Hisana said quietly.

Karin nodded and continued "Well, when I hit you, I didn't know what to do so I swallowed my pride and called for help. A guy came and… it was weird. He kind of turned into a hollow himself, well, hollow that looks like human with a hole, and fought the other hollow. Well it wasn't much of a fight, the guy just shot something out of his finger and everything went ka-boom. I have never seen anything like that, it was so scary! Anyways, I started to hang out with that guy whose name is Ulquiorra Cifer. He'll come here soon."

"Oh" Hisana was dumfounded. The paper guy is a hollow?

"Yeah. I asked dad if Ulquiorra could stay with us but he didn't want to hear of it. Maybe he sensed that Ulquiorra was a hollow. Or arrancar as he calls himself." She looked behind Hisana and pointed at the guy "Here he comes."

The paper guy, pardon, Ulquiorra Cifer was not very tall, but slim, miserable person. Or that was what he looked like. Hisana's first thought was she should crush him and eat him alive. The thought surprised her because she wasn't like that. She wouldn't hurt a fly! But something about Ulquiorra Cifer annoyed her. While he was walking towards them, Hisana remembered that he saved hers and probably Karin's life. She owed him a life. She changed her mind about him. He was obviously a nice guy. He didn't look nice, though. He had raven black hair that wasn't short or long. He was so pale that he could easily outshine the Moon. The scariest things about him were his eyes and his mouth. His eyes were beautiful green color, but they were stoic, worse, it looked as he was an empty shell. And his mouth were a simple line of serious. Hisana thought Ulquiorra Cifer could compete with Byakuya and actually win the seriousness award. He wore a white T-shirt and some worn out jeans and old shoes. Hisana decided to be nice. What could possibly happen?

Karin greeted Ulquiorra Cifer with a smile that he didn't return. Hisana wondered what would happen if he smiled. The end of the world was all she could think of. Ulquiorra Cifer then looked at her with that empty stare of his and just stared at her expecting something.

"Hello, I'm Hisana, Karin's friend. You must be Ulquiorra Cifer, right?" she smiled and smiled and hoped that he wouldn't smile even though she felt stupid smiling like that. Ulquiorra didn't shake her hand. He just looked away and said loud and clear "Trash."

Karin suddenly hit him for that and yelled about him calling Hisana trash and then they argued about humans being trash or something like that. Hisana couldn't hear them anymore.

Trash. That was what they called her when she was taking care of Rukia. She was poor and weak and starved. Everyone thought she was a whore with a baby so she didn't deserve any piece of bread. Nobody even considered that Rukia was her sister, even when she would tell that. Being a whore was normal there even if no one respected them or helped. She stole food, but often being caught and properly punished, didn't get enough food for both of them. All food she could find she would give Rukia so she could sleep without Rukia's wailing.

Trash. That's what they called her when she was alone stealing around traveling the districts hoping that Rukia was alive and well. She had gotten quicker and quieter while stealing. Nobody ever noticed her and when they did, they would see trash, a girl, a woman to be in poor clothes, covered in dirt sitting on the earth, resting her bare feet, eating a melon as fast as she could before anyone could catch her.

Trash. That was what Byakuya called her when they first met. He was so arrogant then. She slapped him for that and tried to fight him, but he wouldn't fight girls which was good because he was too strong for her. She still couldn't figure out how she managed to marry him. When she did marry him, she could still hear whispers behind her back coming from the Kuchki Elders calling her trash. But she would forget about it when she was with Byakuya, making jokes about Elders. He would laugh so hard, she remembered.

Hisana wondered what would happen if Ulquiorra Cifer laughed. She shivered at the thought.

"I apologize."She heard a soft voice say.

"Huh?"

"I will not repeat myself." Ulquiorra looked at Hisana with his creepy eyes.

"Oh yes, you will!" Karin hissed. Ulquiorra looked at Karin who was glaring at him and then they had kind of a staring-glaring contest. Hisana backed away a little watching out for a fight that could happen very soon if she doesn't do something.

"It's okay." She said quietly "Just don't fight!" She squeaked. What was wrong with her?! Hisana never squeaks! Ulquiorra looked at her, stoically of course, but she felt like he respected her now. It was a knew feeling, respect. No one respected her. He nodded and offered his hand. She reculantly shook it smiling softly. This man was full of surprises, wasn't he?

Karin cooled down a bit and started a conversation.

"So, Ulquiorra, did you find her apartment?" she asked.

"Whose apartment?" Hisana was curious.

"Orihime's. He was looking for it."

Before she knew it, they were talking about Orihime, who was apparently really nice girl or woman as Ulquiorra called her, and giving advices to Ulquiorra mostly of how to act human. Hisana never felt more alive. She knew somehow, in her guts that Ulquiorra Cifer is about to become a very good friend of hers. That thought scared her a lot.

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**Another chapter, yay! Did I mention I like Hisana? Well, this chapter ends the way I don't like, but I don't care anymore. I'm one very, very lazy writer. I don't get it how can people write more that one fanfic simultaniously (Did I spell that right?), I am dying here with this one! But I'm still enjoying it. Anyways, thanks again for those who reviewed, they are awsome, and those who read this and didn't say anything I have to say: SHAME ON YOU! Just write one letter, that's enough. Guess whose point of view will be next. Oh, and one more thing. If anyone asks, I don't own Bleach like everybody on this fandom except Tite Kubo who I'm sure if he wrote fanfic, would say that he owns it.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 ULQUIORRA: At Orihime's…

Ulquiorra was standing right in front of the doors of apartment that belonged to Inoue Orihime. He was standing there for thirteenth time that day. He felt something he would never feel in Hueco Moundo-he felt… strange. He didn't quite understand why. He never even understood emotions. As arrancar he would only feel emotionless or rage. This emotion was strange to him.

He talked to her before and he knows he doesn't frighten her, so why did he feel that way?

Humans never did make any sense to him. Now that he was partly one of them, or so it seemed, he was lost. He was overwhelmed by emotions. Emotions he never understood. He felt weak. Right now he was sweating and shaking and his knees were feeling rather odd even though they had no reason to. But what if she hates him? She has every reason to. He kidnapped her, hurt her friends, kept her in prison…

He wished he had a leader. Being alone, making decisions for himself, it just didn't suit him. He didn't have to like Aizen, he never even trusted him (he considered anyone who trusted Aizen a fool), but Aizen was a leader you _had_ to follow. What to do now? He could do whatever he wanted to, he was free. And it was freedom that was causing him that strange feeling.

He was going to open the doors. He was. Right now, any minute. Kurosaki girl and her friend told him that Orihime would never turn anyone down. He just needed to tell her that he wasn't her enemy anymore.

But what if she doesn't believe him? And why does it matter so much?

_Just open the damn doors!_ He could hear that Kurosaki girl yell inside his mind. It was strange. He must have forgotten Ichigo had sisters. He thought that a familiar spiritual pressure belonged to Ichigo Kurosaki, the boy that defeated him. Ulquiorra still couldn't understand what happened, how did Ichigo change into a complete hollow? Then again, how did Ulquiorra turn into a human? All he knew was that one minute he was turning to ashes and then he was in Karakura place, lying on the ground. He knew the woman lived somewhere here so, after a while, he decided to find her and if possible, befriend her.

The problem was that she wasn't here in this world. He couldn't sense her spiritual pressure anywhere. Instead of her spiritual pressure he felt another familiar pressure even if it wasn't quite the same. He was sure it belonged to Kurosaki boy. He traced it down only to find it wasn't Ichigo-it was his sister.

The girl interested him. He could see that she was very powerful even if she couldn't be a match for her brother. She didn't have any training as a Soul Reaper, but most of the time, the raw strength of her spiritual pressure was enough. Who knows what she might be capable if she had training. He wondered if she could hollowfy like Ichigo. If she could, she was a very, very dangerous weapon. I mean person. He was observing her for a while; the way she kills hollows, the way she talks to the others, he observed her family and her relationships with everyone. She had a father that was a Soul Reaper, like her brother who was currently missing from this world, and she had a twin sister that was complete opposite of the girl and didn't have high spiritual pressure as the rest of the family. Karin Kurosaki was one very interesting girl.

It was then he noticed she was being followed. There was a man that followed the girl all the time. So instead the girl, Ulquiorra started to observe the man. He was big tall and strong with no trace of spiritual pressure which was odd because everything had a little bit of spiritual pressure. The man's face was ugly in kind words, but to describe it: He had piggy eyes, large nose, huge forehead, square face, small mouth and pointy chin. He was muscular. The man watched Karin like a prey, he was waiting for a right moment to strike, but the moment never came.

The man was often talking to hollows, like he was their acquaintance or worse, their _ally_. He was planning something, it was as clear as a night in Hueco Mundo, and it obviously had something to do with a certain raven-haired girl. Ulquiorra started to leave little notes to warn her, but she didn't seem to listen and was too proud to ask for his help. She finally swallowed her pride when she wounded her friend and yelled desperately for help. It was then he turned into a hollow for the first time in human world. It felt good to be powerful.

Now he was opposite, he was powerless. He felt guilty for what he did to Inoue Orihime. He wished he could undo everything that happened in Hueco Mundo and start all over again. It was pathetic to feel that way. He wasn't used to emotions. Karin's friend tried to make him like the emotions. There was something about her that made him feel vulnerable around her. Even though she seemed kind and innocent, Ulquiorra felt she was dangerous. The first time he was close to her, all his instincts yelled_ Run, get away from her!_ Which was strange because he considered himself far more powerful than she was.

At first he didn't like her at all. She seemed too kind to be a good person. Her broken nose and bruised face didn't help the impression. But there was a moment that reminded him of _her_, Inoue Orihime. He was thinking of shooting a cero on Karin because she was annoying, but that lady squeaked desperately asking them not to fight. That moment she seemed so gentle and fragile, yet strong and determent. She surprised him and not many humans can do that.

Right now, the former Quattro Espada was just about to knock when the door opened. There was a girl standing in front of him and you couldn't guess which one of them was more surprised: Ulquiorra or the girl? Next thing he saw was her foot kicking his face and knocking him on the ground. He wasn't expecting that. His human body didn't react the way it should have. He blacked out for a second and then got a better look of the girl who was holding him on the ground. She seemed somehow familiar.

"What the hell are you doing here, you freak?!"she yelled a bit too loud for Ulqiorra's liking. Then again, it reminded him of Grimmjow and he was used to that.

"Do you really think you can come in my world any time you want?!" _A weak juman like her can not 'own' the world of the living_ " What are you up to? Destroying the world again with that ugly friend of yours?" _I don't have friends_ "Or are you inviting your dead boss Aizen the Lunatic?!" _How can you invite_ _someone who is dead?_ "Talk fast!"

But Ulquiorra didn't talk fast. In fact, he didn't talk at all. He just stoicly stared at her, patiently waiting for her to remove her foot from his chest and trying to remember where and when did he see her and how does she recognize him. Also, he hoped that his stoic stare was mocking enough to annoy her. Yes, he could see her face frowning and she pressed her foot harder that his human chests were hurting badly now.

"Did you lose your hearing as well as your tattoos? I said _talk!_" She really was annoyed now.

"What tattoos?"he managed to ask coldly. The teenager smirked.

"So you _can_ talk. I mean those tear like tattoos on your ugly face." Ulquiorra didn't feel offended by that comment. The girl obviously didn't care for beauty either, which was clear. She had messy dark hair and there were some long locks falling down her back. Her eyes were brown and had some mean confident look. She wore a T-shirt that was to big and some old jeans. He was sure he saw her somewhere, but when?

"So, what are you doing here?"

"If you would just move your foot away, trash, I promise I won't hurt you and I will answer your questions." he didn't know why did he promised that. She deserved to be blasted by cero for what she did, but she was one of few humans that, Ulquiorra unwillingly admitted, managed to get better of him.

The girl frowned (again) and considered. Finally she removed her foot and offered him a hand. Ulquiorra was shocked to bone. That girl tried to kill him a minute ago and she considered him the enemy. Why in the world would she offer him a hand? Was that it? Was that the heart the woman was talking about? Did humans really give it so easily to a person they don't know and can't trust? To the former enemy who tried to hurt them? He just couldn't understand. That simple gesture was so complicated in his newly opened eyes that his head started to hurt.

Either way, he took the offered hand and got on his feet.

"Who are you?"he asked politely.

"Hey, I'm the one asking questions, jackass! Do you know whose apartment this is?" she barked. Ulquiorra nodded slowly.

"What are you doing here anyways?"

" I was looking for Inoue Orihime." he was looking at her completely blank, not showing any sings of the strange emotion. At least he hoped so.

"Why?"she asked suspiciously "To kidnap her? To hurt her?"

Ulquiorra shook his head.

"That isn't of your concern."

"You bet it's of my concern, you idiot!"she said fiercely "Orihime is the nicest girl you can find in the world and she is my best friend, so you better talk before I kick your ass!"

Her friend? Oh. He remembered now. When he first stepped into the human world with Yami, she was the girl who could endure his and Yami's spiritual pressure for a short time. Then came the woman and tried to protect her. He decided she deserved to know.

"I came here to apologize."

"You- wait WHAT?"

"I will not repeat myself."

The girl was staring at him in bewilderment. She whispered quietly "No, I heard you the first time" and then she was just staring at him. Ulquiorra was feeling rather uncomfortable, but he was quite certain it wasn't shown on his face. He was waiting patiently and stared right back at her. It took a while, but she got back to her senses and frowned.

"You're lying, you would never apologize." she said "She is a human and you consider all humans trash."

She had a point. He considered all humans to be trash once. But Inoue Orihime was different, she made him curious about those he called trash.

"I don't consider her trash." he muttered. The girl smirked mockingly.

"Oh? What's the sudden change of hearth?"she was suspicious "How could I trust you? I mean, you could change your mind and kill me for all I know. You're probably lying right now."

He stared at her like waiting for judgment, like she was going to shoot cero at him, which was ridiculous, of course. But the way she was looking at him, so confident that she could take him on in a fight it made him feel… strange. After a while, the girl smirked (she did that a lot, Ulquiorra noticed) and pointed the obvious "Orihime's not here."

"I know." he stared emotionless. The answer seemed to irritate her more.

"Then what the heck are you doing here, you idiot?!" Right. She needed explanation.

"I thought I could wait for her here in her home, but today I felt spiritual pressure and I thought that it was someone in her family in there. Obviously it was you."

"Yeah," she grinned "It was me kicking your face. But let's get serious here a little."

He stared.

"Look, dude, you may think it's rude and all, but somehow (I wonder why), I don't trust you. You and that little gang of yours caused enough damage here and I don't want that again. Now, I'll be polite and ask you nicely to go and stay away from here. This is the first and the last warning you'll hear from me. And if I see you around here again, you'll be sorry. Got that?" she was being serious enough.

Ulquiorra left her without a word, never looking back. Then it struck him; what was her name?

"Her name is Tatsuki Arisawa. She is Orihime's best friend." Karin explained the next day "And she rocks in material arts. She always kicked Ichigo's butt when they were kids."

They were sitting on grass late afternoon discussing what happened. He didn't understand how he ended up telling the girl everything. It wasn't her business after all. But here he was, telling her every single detail of what happened. The girl was a good listener, unlike her friend who was taking a nap on tree. She looked absent, staring at nothing, her long raven hair tied in low ponytail flapping around. There was a hint of small soft smile playing on her lips as she tried to remove the lock of hair that was falling down her ruined face. Somehow seeing her in peace made him calmer. And he didn't like that.

"What is she doing?" he asked Karin pointing at Hisana. Karin smirked when she saw her.

"Don't worry, she's like this every time we go to the park. She can't resist climbing trees."

"But she seems absent"

"She's daydreaming. Does that a lot." Karin was now deep in thought "Probably side effect of remembering more than one life."

More than one life? Ulquiorra was interested. He asked Karin to explain what she meant, which she did and they ended up talking for almost an hour. They didn't just talk about Hisana, but about hollows and soul reapers, about her powers that he compared to Ichigo's, about the man that followed her and many other things. He found himself enjoying the conversation. The girl knew more than she let on.

Hisana was still climbing that tree like a monkey, never caring what were Ulquiorra and Karin talking about. Ulquiorra could see her in corner of his eye looking at something she found interesting. She would jump from one to the other branch like a little bird looking at one direction. He found it strange that she could really remember her past lives. She seemed lost and confused and she often acted childish. Like now for example. He was amused that such childish person could keep so many secrets.

Hisana suddenly jumped on the ground and cried in pain because she jumped of the highest branch she could find. Apparently she injured her foot seeing that she hopped towards Karin and him.

" So, did you find her?" she asked curiously ignoring the pain.

"Found who?" he replied.

" Orihime, of course, who else! You were going to talk to her, right?"

"Orihime's not here. He was kind of going to live there waiting for her, but then Tatsuki shoved him away." Karin pointed out.

Hisana squeaked in delight "How romantic!" while Karin rolled her eyes and Ulquiorra denied that he was involved in any romantic way. Hisana just laughed and teased playfully and Karin enjoyed watching him getting more and more annoyed. But in truth, he felt for the first time in his life...He didn't know what was that feeling. He didn't have any reason to harm anyone and he didn't feel that emptiness of his hole so much. But the feeling… It was good feeling, calm feeling. Karin and Hisana accepted him in no time, never caring that he was partly an arrancar or that he almost killed Karin's brother. Humans were never stranger.

The three of them spent whole afternoon together walking through town, talking about everything that girls would think of, mostly teasing him for no reason. Hisana would run around like a child and Karin would kick her soccer ball around while he would walk like any other person with hands in his pockets, completely lifeless. And then he saw the one person he never wanted to see again. And not just that. The person looked horrified and was running from something.

* * *

**Who is the person? Anyways, sory for the late update, but my house is building? Rebuilding? Upgrading? Damn you english language!**

**I had the weirdest dream the other night. I dreamt I was going grocery shoping with my best buddy Renji (that is scary even if he seems like a very, very great friend material) and my eldest sister who doesn't even like anime (she sucks, I know)! It was weird having Renji teasing me because I. Am. So. Soooooo. Short!**

**This is not my favorite chapter so far. I just can't get into the right character (so sorry to everyone who thinks Ulquiorra is a bit OOC) **

**If you can, review, if you can't, then I salute you with respect because I don't review often either (because I am a shy person (seriously, I am))**

**Hope you enjoyed reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5: TATSUKI

It wasn't a good day. No, Tatsuki wasn't having a good day at all. She was pissed, she was scared like hell and she was going mad. She was running, tripping and then running again as fast as she could trying to get away from the creepy man and his freaky friends. Her brain wasn't functioning anymore. She didn't even saw where she was running. That was probably the reason she tripped six times now. Basically, all that she thought was:_Run, run, run, run, run!_

Damn adrenalin. She ran for twenty minutes without looking back and then another twenty minutes with watching behind her back and tripping. After those forty minutes, her mind started to clear while she was _still_ running. Her first thought was:_ Why am I still running?_ But she continued running, like her life depended on it. Her sight was clearing now too. She could see pretty well where she was going and she saw three raven heads up ahead. And it surprised her that she met each one of them.

She recognized the shortest raven headed girl instantly. It was Ichigo's little sister, Karin. And there was Rukia who looked a bit older compared to last time Tatsuki saw her. And what happened to her face? She was jumping and running around third raven head who was the tallest, but that didn't mean he was tall. It was that guy who was at Orihime's earlier. The guy who had enormous spiritual pressure when she first saw him. He was hiding his spiritual pressure now and he seemed like any other ordinary eccentric human.

Why would Karin and Rukia walk with this guy?! Don't they know he's dangerous?! At least Rukia should know! He is pure emotionless evil!

_Never mind, keep running, don't look, don't think, just run!_ And she did, she just flew past them, never caring for beating the guy as she promised before. She heard Karin calling her, but she couldn't stop running. Her eyes were full of tears and her vision was blurry. There was a figure getting closer, she couldn't see who it was. She heard Karin scream behind her as Tatsuki remembered horrors she saw. Then, a second later, she crashed into the figure in front of her.

Everything went black. She felt sharp pain all over her body as she fell on the ground with all her force taking innocent person with her. She didn't care. Her mind was paralyzed by fear again as the visions came back. She was petrified for a second. Then she got up, feeling no pain and started running. She made three steps when someone grabbed her and pushed to the ground. Tatsuki didn't even care to see who was it. She just kicked her legs, trying to get up, to make her way, to run. But the person wouldn't let her. It was a guy. He was yelling something to her, calling her and then apologized. Next thing she knew, everything was black again, only this time visions didn't come back.

"What… What happened?" Tatsuki murmured quietly slowly opening her eyes. First thing she saw was Keigo's face leaning over her, worry written all over it.

"Do-you-know-who-I-am?" He talked like she was a three years old or some alien. Her fist found her place in his idiotic face. Keigo didn't even tried to dodge. He took the hit calmly and exclaimed happily she was back to being herself again.

Tatsuki didn't know how to respond. What happened? She remembered running as fast as she could, but what was she running from? What did she see?

She looked around and noticed she was in Urahara's shop. Why the heck was she in Urahara's shop? She tried to get up, but she was to tired. Her legs didn't respond at all. So she sat and looked for Keigo. He was lying oposite of her on floor, staring at the ceiling deep in thought. He was so weird. He always acted like an idiot, sometimes annoying everybody and sometimes just lifting the spirits. He looked like a happy go lucky guy. He would act like he was the biggest coward in whole wide world.

And then, there were times when he was all opposite. The idiot would become the smartest person, facing bravely any danger even though he knew he was no match for it. The happy go lucky would be serious and confident. She wouldn't even recognize him. I mean, look at him. His clothes were ruined, his arms and legs were bruised and bloody as was his face,but he seemed so calm and deep in thought…

Oh no. No, she couldn't have… It surely wasn't him, was it? No…Yes… Oh no!

"Did I… Have I bumped into you earlier?" she asked quietly. At first she thought Keigo didn't hear, but after a little while he sighed.

"Yeah, you did. But don't worry about me, I should have moved out of the way when you were running." she expected him asking about what happened, but he just stayed quiet. Was he mad at her? She was just about to ask him when the doors opened.

Kisuke Urahara walked in calmly, almost bored, and grinned at the sight.

"Well someone must be feeling better." he hid his face behind his fan "You should have seen yourself few hours earlier. You are one strong crazy girl, you know."

What?

"Yeah, after your friend here knocked you out, you were calm for about fifteen minutes. Then you woke up scared, no, worse, you were terrified and you smashed my shop pretty well. And I know you are not the kind of person who is easily scared." His face got deadly serious "So, I have to ask you to tell me what you saw and where was it."

She saw…saw… she couldn't remember it.

"I know it's not easy to remember something that could terrify you like that, but you have to try." Urahara said calmly.

Tatsuki tried to remember. She was running and saw raven headed people, yes, there was that creep hollow that looked human with Rukia and Karin…Karin screamed, was she alright? She bumped into someone…Oh, right, that was Keigo, she knew that now. Then everything was blank. Dead end. Lets go from the beginning, when she was running. She was running from what? Remember, dammit!

A face. A child's face, with a hole in his neck. Bloody eyes staring at her like a prey, blood dripping from his mouth-no, she couldn't stand it! And just when she thought that, everything disappeared. She couldn't remember it. She grabbed her hair like she' going to pull it off and stared furiously in front of her.

"I'm trying, I almost remembered-"

"And then you forgot, didn't you?" Urahara guessed "Don't worry, it's perfectly normal for traumatized people."

"Then why did you ask her to remember?" Keigo frowned. Urahara looked at him and stared for a while making the awkward silence before he looked at Tatsuki and answered.

"If she remembered, then the situation wouldn't have been that dangerous. Remember, this is Tatsuki we are talking about. It would take more than horror to terrify her and to remember. I can not even imagine what she saw. It's a miracle she hadn't been paralyzed by fear and stayed where she was. You, Tatsuki, are lucky to be alive."

And that said, Urahara left the room leaving her with Keigo. They glanced at each other for a second before she lied down and stared at the ceiling. She tried to remember again. Face of the child. Murderer. Hole in his neck. And blank. She forgot. It was really annoying. She wasn't a wimp, she could take anything on, she wasn't the strongest person in the whole damn world, but she wasn't a scaredycat either, dammit! So why couldn't she remember?!

"You scared the hell out of me back there, you know?"Keigo started "I though something bad happened to Ichigo or Orihime, you always worry about them."

"Oh, no, don't say that!" she bit her lip.

"Why not?"

" 'Cause I can't remember what happened! What if something horrible _did_ happen to them and I can't help them because I can't remember?!" her voice was dripping with anger. She heard Keigo laughing at that so she raised her head.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just- ha, you would never forget if Orihime or Ichigo were in trouble. You are like their big sis or something."

"And what's funny about that?"

"You are."

Tatsuki threw her pillow at that comment which made Keigo laugh even more. What a jerk. Still, he was just trying to make her stop thinking about what happened, she knew him that well. They talked for a little while, just small talk, but she fell asleep the minute she stopped talking. That running really exhausted her. She didn't even hear him leaving.

Did she have a nightmare? Yes. Could she remember what was it about? Of course not. She was like a fish - see, but don't remember.

She woke up screaming at what she saw in the nightmare and ended up screaming again at the sight in front of her. Empty green eyes, weird brows, pale face, black hair… back to the empty green eyes staring right back at her brown ones. Her fist just flew, but the guy dodged it. Then, his face appeared again, his eyes staring deep into hers…

"What the- WILL YOU GET OUT OF MY SIGHT?!" she managed to kick him into stomach, missing what she actually wanted to hit. The guy backed down when another freakish face appeared. This face was all bruised and the nose was broken, but lavander eyes were full of joy and excitment. The woman had smile plastered on her lips and there was a lock of hair splitting on her broken nose. Then the face disappeared and Tatsuki found herself staring blank in the ceiling.

"Is she alright?"she heard a high piched voice ask quietly. There was a moment of silence before she the high pitched voice spoke again "How do you know?"

"If she wasn't alright, she wouldn't be able to kick so hard" a monotone voice answered. Tatsuki recognized the voice. It was that guy at Orihime's, the guy who was aperently hanging out with Karin and- wait a minute. Was that Rukia just now?! Tatsuki shot up from bed and looked at the pair of them. The woman must have been Rukia even if she did look older, her hair was longer and pulled in ponytail and her face… yeah. She giggled at the answer softly in that high pitched annoying tone. What happened to her voice? Rukia looked at Tatsuki and gasped excitedly.

"She is awake!" she squealed and got closer examining Tatsuki's face.

"Are you alright? We were so worried about you and that shopkeeper wouldn't tell us anything! Not even to me!" After she said that, Rukia started coughing and went out to get some fresh air. Tatsuki was left in the room with only that strange guy whom she promised to beat him if she sees him again. He was standing there, completely emotionless, just staring at her as she glared at him.

Why was he here? Did nobody know that he is one of the bad guys? He may appear human, but she knew better. He was more powerful than any of them. She couldn't understand what he was doing here. Why didn't he attack? Why was he hanging out with Karin and Rukia? And why wasn't Ichigo with Rukia? She was always beside him when Ichigo left, so what is she doing here now? Could it be that woman wasn't Rukia?

"You think that woman is someone else." the guy suddenly stated. What the heck? Could he read minds?

"The girl thought it was one of her brother's friends. Do you think that?" Tatsuki was confused and frustrated. He knew more than she did. Ever since Ichigo became what's it called… Soul Eater? No, that's not it, maybe Death Reaper? No. Damn, why was it so hard to remember?! Oh, yes, Soul Reaper, right? Anyways, ever since Ichigo started wearing black clothes, Tatsuki had a feeling she was being left out. Two of her best friends wouldn't tell her anything about it, like she would die if she knew. Even when they were feeling down or worried about something, they would never tell her what's wrong and she could never help. This stranger, a bad guy knew her best friend's sister better than she knew. Why? Why did she have to find everything on her own?

"How do you know Karin?" she asked bitterly. The guy seemed confused for a moment. Then instead of answering her question, he said "That woman is not the girl's brother's friend."

Tatsuki truly didn't give a damn who that woman was now.

"Answer my question."

"I observed her for a while."

"You mean you stalked her?" Wow. What a freak. The guy didn't say anything; he just kept staring at her ignoring her comment. That guy was something else. "So you're telling me that woman isn't Rukia?"

He nodded.

"You know, you could tell her name if you know who she is." Tatsuki rolled her eyes.

But he stayed silent as a grave. It seemed he was concetrating on something else. What, she didn't know and didn't care. She was sick of this guy. Tatsuki went out of the room giving the guy one good punch. Just when she passed him, the horrible scene appeared before her eyes.

She was in dark, bodies all around her, dead and alive, twisted, bloody, and the worst part- the bodies were mixed with animal bodies, but there was no body of a grown up person. They were all children. Hibrid children. Who would do such a thing?! Tatsuki started shaking at the sight, feeling sick of the smell. The hibrids started saying something in unison and got up with exeption of the dead ones. Their eyes were filled with pure madness, their lips were twisted in sick smile, everything about them was so unnatural!

She felt a hand suddenly grab her shoulder. _That's it.I'm done for._

Next thing she knew, empty green eyes staring at hers, a pale hand holding her shoulder, she was back in the shop. The guy pulled his hand back, still staring at her, waiting for her reaction. Tatsuki stopped shaking and left the room without a word. She did hear him saying "Check on the girl, she is awake by now."

She remembered Karin screaming earlier. What happened to her?

* * *

**Chapter five! Finished at last! I had a feeling like nobody read the last chapter, well exepct snowAry who is the awsomest person in the world. So if you read, leave the comment, I don't bite. **

**I write slow and the school just started so I am sorry to inform that it will take me some time to write each chapter, but I promise I won't give up. I like it. Poor Tatsuki. You have no idea how twisted this story is in my head. I hate my brain sometimes. Well, I hope you enjoyed reading it!**


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